Speaker grille

ABSTRACT

A substrate injection molded to a surface of metal, wood, a wood-based product, or leather to form a composite, such that the composite has an acoustical region and a non-acoustical region, and the surface extends continuously from the acoustical region to the non-acoustical region is described.

BACKGROUND

A loudspeaker can be protected from physical damage by partiallyobstructing it using a speaker grille. Speaker grilles are typicallyconfigured to obstruct only a relatively small amount of acoustic energyemitted by the loudspeaker. For example, speaker grilles often haveholes to let the energy pass from the loudspeaker through the grille.Additionally, speaker grilles are often used to enhance the aestheticappearance of the loudspeaker or the area around the loudspeaker.

SUMMARY

In general, in one aspect, the apparatus and techniques disclosed herefeatures a substrate injection molded to a surface of metal, wood, awood-based product, or leather to form a composite, such that thecomposite has an acoustical region and a non-acoustical region, and thesurface extends continuously from the acoustical region to thenon-acoustical region.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thesubstrate is substantially coextensive with the surface. The surface ison a sheet of material. The non-acoustical region comprises more thanhalf of an area of the surface. An audio device to which the compositeis mounted. An automobile door to which the composite is mounted. Theacoustical region bears holes. A loudspeaker in a vicinity of theacoustical region.

In general, in another aspect, the apparatus and techniques disclosedhere features a loudspeaker, a screen in the vicinity of theloudspeaker, such that the screen has holes and includes a substrateinjection molded onto a surface of metal, wood, a wood-based product, orleather.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thesurface includes leather. The loudspeaker has a diameter and at leastone dimension of at least one of the holes spans the diameter of theloudspeaker. The loudspeaker has a circumference and a radius ofcurvature, and at least one of the holes has a radius of curvature equalto the radius of curvature of the circumference. The holes are generallyrectangular. The holes are arcuate. The holes are generally circular.

In general, in another aspect, the apparatus and techniques disclosedhere features forming holes in the surface of an article having asubstrate molded onto a surface of metal, wood, a wood-based product, orleather, after the substrate has been molded onto the surface.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features.Forming holes includes laser-cutting the surface. Forming holes includesapplying water jets to the surface. Forming holes comprises punching thesurface.

Other features, and advantages will be apparent from the description andthe claims.

DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-D are perspective views of speaker grilles. FIG. 1B is acutaway view.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an automobile door.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an audio console.

FIGS. 4A-D and FIG. 5 illustrate manufacturing steps.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a grille 10 is formed from a sheetmaterial 16 fixed to a molded substrate 12 having holes 14. Thesubstrate 12 together with the sheet material 16 form a composite unit17. In FIG. 1B, the grille 10 is shown positioned in the vicinity of (inthis case, directly in front of) a loudspeaker 18. In this position, thegrille 10 can act as a screen for the loudspeaker 18 (which we also callsimply a “speaker”).

The sheet material 16 can be leather; a leather-like product such asvinyl; wood; a wood-based product such as paper; veneer; or metal. Thesubstrate 12 can be any moldable plastic such as ABS, nylon,polystyrene, polypropylene, or numerous other thermoplastic or thermosetmoldable materials. The plastic is chosen so that the substrate 12 isrigid enough to support itself, the sheet material 16 and, optionally,the loudspeaker 18. The substrate 12 is also rigid enough to protect theloudspeaker 18 from ordinary physical damage. In some examples, thesheet material 16 extends across the entire surface of the substrate 12.In some examples, the sheet material 16 extends beyond the surface ofthe substrate 12. The portion of the sheet material 16 extending beyondthe substrate 12 can be directly mounted or attached to anotherstructure. In some examples, the sheet material 16 extends over only aproper subset of the surface of the substrate 12.

The holes 14 can be: generally rectangular as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B;configured in a series of concentric circular arcs or other arcuateshapes as shown in FIG. 1C; or configured in an array 19 of small holesas shown in FIG. 1D. The holes 14 can individually have a wide varietyof other shapes, or can be arranged in other patterns, according toaesthetic preferences or other considerations.

The holes 14 allow acoustic energy to pass from the speaker 18 throughthe grille 10, ultimately to the ears of a listener. Thus, thedimensions, shape, and patterns of the holes 14 are compatible with thespeaker shape, size, location, and orientation of the speaker 18. Forexample, in the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the holes 14 are generallyrectangular, and the length of a single hole is chosen to besubstantially equal to or greater than a span 15 of the loudspeaker 18,the span 15 being a distance between opposing pairs of points on theboundary of the speaker 18. For a circular loudspeaker 18, the dimensionof a single rectangular hole may be substantially equal to or greaterthan the diameter of the speaker 18. When the grille 10 has holes 14arranged in a series of concentric circles as shown in FIG. 1C, theoutermost circle may be chosen to have a diameter compatible with orgreater than a span 15 of the loudspeaker 18. For a circular loudspeaker18, the circumference of the outermost circular hole may be chosen tosubstantially overlap or extend beyond the circumference of theloudspeaker 18. When the grille 10 has holes 14 arranged in an array 19of small holes as shown in FIG. 1D, the contours of the array 19 may bechosen to be substantially coincident with or extend beyond the contoursof the loudspeaker 18 when the grille 10 is placed in the vicinity ofthe loudspeaker 18.

In determining a geometry for the arrangement of holes 14 in the grille10, the percentage of open area of the grill 10 affects the quality ofthe sound of the loudspeaker 18. A greater percentage of open area willallow more acoustic energy to pass from the loudspeaker 18 through thegrille 10. For any particular one of the holes 14, a relatively largehole may allow more acoustic energy to pass through, but will afford theloudspeaker 18 relatively less protection from physical damage.Additionally, the user's aesthetic preferences may partially determinethe dimensions of the holes 14.

Another consideration for the dimensions of the holes 14 are thelimitations of the manufacturing process. In some embodiments, discussedin more detail below, the composite unit 17 is manufactured in part asdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/767,011, filed Jan. 29,2004, and entitled IMPROVED MOLDED PARTS WITH METAL OR WOOD SURFACEAREAS AND PROCESSES FOR THEIR PRODUCTION ('011 application), the entirecontents of which are incorporated by reference here. The productionmethods disclosed in the '011 application have tolerance limitationsthat may make the methods unsuitable to form a substrate 12 with holes14 of a particular dimensional limit. If holes 14 smaller than thislimit are desired, they can be formed by secondary operations such aslaser cutting, water jet cutting, or punching.

The range of possible compositions of the sheet material 16 allow thespeaker 18 and grille 10 to be incorporated into or mounted on a widevariety of different structures such that the sheet material 16 matchesthe exterior surface of the structure. Incorporating or mounting thespeaker grille 10 as such produces a relatively “seamless” appearance,which is aesthetically desirable to some people. Additionally, if theexterior surface of the structure has a decorative pattern, the sheetmaterial 16 may be supplied with a matching decorative pattern.

For example, one such structure is an automobile door 20, shown in FIG.2. Automobile doors commonly have a surface 22 composed of leather,vinyl, or wood. A composite unit 17 formed from sheet material 16 whichmatches the door surface material can be used as a component in the doorto impart a uniform aesthetic appearance, in which material of a singletype appears to flow continuously from the surface 22 to the speakergrille 10, without sacrificing the functionality of a speaker grille 10.Such an approach is an alternative to the commonly-employed approach ofusing a material distinct from the door's surface 22—such as a metallicmesh or grate—to form a speaker grille. The uniformity and continuitybetween the speaker grille 10 and the door surface 22 is aestheticallydesirable to some people.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, a desktop audio console 30 may have anexterior surface 32 of leather, wood, or other common exterior surface.The exterior surface 32 may have a pattern (such as a cross-hatch, adecorative design, or other artistic features), which the sheet material16 of the speaker grille 10 may be selected to match. Similarly,matching the appearance of the speaker grille 10 to outer surface 32 ofthe audio console is aesthetically desirable to some people.

The speaker grille 10 may be manufactured by first forming the compositeunit 17 which contains the substrate 12 and the sheet material 16. Ifthe speaker grille 10 is to be incorporated into a structure such as anautomobile, the substrate 12 should be manufactured with a shapeconsistent with the composite unit's eventual incorporation. This mayinclude, for example, providing the composite unit 17 with mountingpoints which mate with corresponding points of the structure so as tohold the mounted composite unit 17 in place.

A composite unit 17 to be incorporated into an automobile door may begiven the shape generally coincident with the outer periphery of thedoor. The composite unit 17 may be shaped so as to constitutesubstantially the entire inner surface of the door. Other shapes of thecomposite unit 17 are possible, with any proportion of the compositeunit's surface area being attributable to the speaker grille 10. Whenthe composite unit 17 will be incorporated into an automobile door,mounting points can be formed in the composite unit 17. The mountingpoints can allow the composite unit 17 to be mounted, for example, by asnap fit or a press fit, or with fasteners such as a threaded fastener,or by other conventional mounting techniques. There are sufficientlymany mounting points to allow the composite unit to be adequatelysupported in the automobile door. For example, if the composite unit 17is generally rectangular, a mounting point may be formed in the regionof each corner of the composite unit 17.

Similarly, when the composite unit 17 will be incorporated into an audioconsole, mounting points as described above are formed in the compositeunit 17. In this context, the composite unit 17 may be mostlyattributable to the grille 10. The composite unit 17 could then be snapfit or press fit onto the audio console, for example in the vicinity ofa loudspeaker of the audio console or around a rectangular section ofthe enclosure assembly of the audio console. In an another example, thecomposite unit 17 is attributable to an entire face of the audioconsole, and composite unit 17 is provided with mounting points whichallow it to mate with holes or bosses in the enclosure of the audioconsole. There are numerous other possible geometries and for thecomposite unit, and numerous other possible mounting scenarios.

Generally, the composite unit 17 is formed by an injection moldingprocess. Among other ways, the composite unit 17 may be manufactured asdescribed in the '011 application. Referring to FIGS. 4A-D,manufacturing the speaker grille 10 requires making a mold 40 for thesubstrate 12. The mold 40 is formed from two component parts which aremoveable relative to each other. The mold has at least two states: anopen state and a closed state. In the closed state (FIG. 4B), the twocomponents of the mold are held against each other so that they define acavity 41. They are held together with sufficient force so as to form anair-tight seal. In the open state (FIGS. 4A, 4C), the two components aredisposed a relatively large distance from each other, allowing objectsto be placed in or removed from either component of the mold 40. Atleast one of the component parts includes a region which at leastpartially corresponds to the speaker grille 10. If the speaker grille 10is to be incorporated into another structure, the mold 40 also accountsfor the shape of the structure.

Referring to FIG. 4A, with the mold 40 in the open state, sheet material16, which optionally has been die cut to give it a particular shape, isplaced within the mold 40. Optionally, an adhesive may be applied to thesheet material 16.

In FIG. 4B, the mold 40 is closed, and molten plastic 42 is injectedinto cavity 41 defined by the mold 40 under pressure. The pressure issufficiently high so that bubbles do not form between the sheet material16 and the plastic 42. The high pressure also facilitates the plastic 42bonding to the sheet material 16. The seal between the two components ofthe mold 40 is sufficiently tight so as not to allow molten plastic 42to escape.

In FIG. 4C, when the plastic 42 is cooled, the mold is opened, revealinga composite unit 17 composed of the plastic 42 fixed to the sheetmaterial 16.

In FIG. 4D, the composite unit 17 is further processed in a secondaryoperation to cut away excess sheet material 16 lying over holes 14 inthe grille 10 or elsewhere. In some embodiments, the precise locationsof the holes 14 are known from computer-aided design (“CAD”) softwarewhich was used to import hole-forming features in the mold 42. Thus, thesecondary operations used to form holes in the sheet material 16 can beprecisely controlled to match the holes 14 in the substrate 12. Anymethod of cutting appropriate to the sheet material can be used, e.g.laser cutting, water jets, punching, or the like. Additionally, if thesubstrate 12 is to bear holes smaller than the injection-molding processcan create, these holes may be formed in this secondary operation. Theprocessed composite unit 17 may then be mounted on a structure, e.g. anautomobile door or an audio console.

In another embodiment, in FIG. 5, the substrate 12 can be formed firstby injection molding techniques. Then, sheet material 16 can be adheredto the substrate, thereby forming a composite unit 17. Finally, portionsof the sheet material 16 lying over holes 14 in the substrate 12 may becut away using the methods described above.

Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

1. An apparatus comprising a substrate injection molded to a surface ofmetal, wood, a wood-based product, or leather to form a composite, thecomposite having an acoustical region and a non-acoustical region; thesurface extending continuously from the acoustical region to thenon-acoustical region.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which thesubstrate is substantially coextensive with the surface.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 in which the surface is on a sheet of material. 4.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-acoustical region comprisesmore than half of an area of the surface.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising an audio device to which the composite is mounted. 6.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an automobile door to whichthe composite is mounted.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 in which theacoustical region bears holes.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a loudspeaker in a vicinity of the acoustical region.
 9. Anapparatus comprising a loudspeaker; a screen in the vicinity of theloudspeaker, the screen having holes and comprising a substrateinjection molded onto a surface of metal, wood, a wood-based product, orleather.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the surface comprisesleather.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the loudspeaker has adiameter and at least one dimension of at least one of the holes spansthe diameter of the loudspeaker.
 12. The apparatus of claim 9, whereinthe loudspeaker has a circumference and a radius of curvature, and atleast one of the holes has a radius of curvature equal to the radius ofcurvature of the circumference.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, whereinthe holes are generally rectangular.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the holes are arcuate.
 15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein theholes are generally circular.
 16. A method comprising in an articlehaving a substrate molded onto a surface of metal, wood, a wood-basedproduct, or leather, forming holes in the surface after the substratehas been molded onto the surface.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereinforming holes comprises laser-cutting the surface.
 18. The method ofclaim 16 wherein forming holes comprises applying water jets to thesurface.
 19. The method of claim 16 wherein forming holes comprisespunching the surface.